Ever After
by Tiggy the Hopeless Romantic
Summary: Still, I can't say: come back for good. I don't know if you will, I'm not sure that you should... Postmusical, rating raised to M. Because sometimes love just isn't enough. Complete November 21, 2009
1. Ever After

_No worries, the awful summary will be changed!_

Hey everyone. I want to start this by explaining that I expect this to be my last full length fic. I've been in this fandom for a couple of years, and I feel like I've left my mark. I also start college next month (I know we start really late) and know I'm going to have less time. I also realize it would've been smarter to finish my last story _before_ school started, but I wanted my last story to be something great, not just average, so this is where we are.

I don't plan to drop off the face of the earth- I know I have one short project beside this to do before I officially retire. And even then, I plan to continue reading, reviewing, and betaing.

Now that that's done with, on to the story. While this is set post-musical, I don't want anyone to confuse it with my previous post-musical story. This story is more line with things I've written as of late, and has some dark themes to it, possibly warranting me raising the rating (I'll let you all know before I do that, though).

Thanks for reading and reviewing, not only this fic but everything else.

I'm dedicating this story to _alinaandalion_, who not only listened to my ideas for this story but listened to me when I was in a really bad place and needed someone to hear me. I love you, hon! I also beta for the fabulous lady, and let me tell you, she has great things in progress. So after you're done with this, go check her work out.

Enough of the Author's Note, on with the story.

* * *

_Climb and escape from those seeds that you planted_

_You slew all my giants, ignoring your own_

_- Ever After, Bare_

The last of the snow had melted the week before and spring had rapidly come. After a long, cold winter, it was finally warm enough to go outside without a jacket. The little house was beautiful, tucked out of the way and completely undisturbed. It was well off the beaten path so no one ever came near- a little touch of magic helped with that. Her little world, the home, the garden outside. How her world had shrunk since they had left Oz! She had gone from the Wicked Witch of the West, the terror of Oz to a hermit. She knew she couldn't complain. She was safe, she had a roof over her head, food, clean clothes- and, most importantly, she had him. Fiyero lived at her side, or lived as much as he could given his state. But he never complained about being trapped as a Scarecrow, he just lived by her side, steadfast and sure.

Even in Ev, the story of Dorothy was well known. They knew of the wretched Witch as well as of Dorothy's companions. The Scarecrow was warmly welcomed and the Witch... well, the Witch was best off as long as she stayed out of sight. Fiyero regularly made trips to a nearby town, buying food he couldn't eat, other supplies that were much more useful to her than him.

He also brought back news of Oz to her. Lady Glinda, the beautiful ruler of Oz had quickly repealed many of the laws that the Wizard had put into place. Some people were charmed by her, content to follow her... others were not so supportive of her, not liking the rapid change. Elphaba worried about her, but Fiyero had the obnoxious habit of reminding her that there was nothing she could do about it.

If there was anything she knew, it was that. She couldn't do anything to help the Animals, she couldn't do anything to protect Glinda. She knew it was the only way she could stay safe but increasingly often she felt like life was passing her by. She seriously doubted what good keeping so safe was good for if she couldn't live- not that she could do anything about it, not that she could do anything about, well, anything-

"_Hey!_ Elphaba, what are you doing?" Fiyero's anxious voice accompanied by his footsteps startled her, and she realized that the tree branch she had been staring at had burst into flames.

She shook her head, feeling flustered. "Nothing," she said as she extinguished the magical flame with a flick of her wrist.

He put down the bag of groceries he had carried back from the village so he could reach out to her. She hugged him halfheartedly, giving him a brief peck before pulling away from him. "What's the matter, love?" He asked, with growing concern and mild disappointment at the rather cold greeting.

"Nothing," she insisted, grabbing the bag and bringing it inside, him following her.

"I'm sorry for being less than convinced, but things tend to only blow up when you're upset. So what's wrong, you can tell me. You can tell me anything." She put the groceries away, attempting to ignore him, but he wrapped his arms around her waist, turning her around so she faced him. "Talk to me. You've been down lately. Quiet."

She stared at him for a moment. The burlap that had replaced his skin, the straw that had replaced his flesh... she couldn't get comfort from that. Even he was a reminder of the past. She felt the words spill out of her mouth, as if from their own accord. "Yero, I love you so much, but I can't keep going like this. This isn't a life. I might be alive, but I feel like I'm dead. It never changes. I wake up, eat breakfast. Chat with you, work in the garden, eat lunch, talk with you. I clean the house, eat dinner, have one last chat for the day, and go to bed. I can't I- I feel like I'm just waiting to die, passing the time. I can't keep going like this," she heard her voice crack, tears she didn't even know she was holding back breaking past the floodgates and spilling down her cheeks.

She could sense his shock, knew he hadn't been expecting that sort of confession. She longed for the past, when she'd been able to feel his warmth, feel safety in his embrace without the need to hide away. But no, his arms crinkled with rough straw that she couldn't sink into and only reflected the warmth from her own body. "What am I supposed to do, tell me what to do. I'll do it in a heartbeat, if it could make you happy again." He gently cupped her face with his hand, lifting her chin. "You don't have to do this all on your own, tell me what's wrong, what you need me to do."

She tore away from him, still crying. "Go back in time, don't save me. That would make me happy. Go back in time, when Glinda and I fought. Let the guards capture me. I would've been able to die happy. I would've been fulfilled, dying for a cause and knowing you loved me. And you would've still been your beautiful self. Whole and human. You could've apologized, said it was all some massive misunderstanding. You could've been happy again someday and neither of us would've been trapped in these damn half-lives."

He reached for her again, but she'd had enough. She ran down the hall to her bedroom- her's, not theirs as he had no use for sleep. He could hear her sobbing through the door, but he couldn't bring himself to check on her, terrified that it was him that was making her so unhappy. Her cries lessened eventually, and he was glad she was able to get some comfort in sleep.

Really, the outburst did not surprise him. He'd seen it coming, building in her for months. She was moody, withdrawn. She had been increasingly short with him, avoiding him however much she could- and that was an accomplishment as he had become the only figure in her life. He felt so guilty about it all. Despite his form, he could still interact with people, he didn't have to hide himself away from the world. He didn't know what he could do for her, but he knew something would have to change, soon. Or he would lose her, one way or another.


	2. Funny, Love

Sorry this chapter is on the short side- I've never been much for long chapters, and prefer to use chapters that are about a single moment (unless that moment is REALLY brief... then, well). I actually have rough versions of the next few chapters, so things should be up pretty quickly. Just so you all know, my outline currently says that this story should take about twenty-four chapters, although that'll probably shift as I actually write- so although these first few chapters might seem like things are moving very quickly, it's really just the tip of the iceberg.

* * *

_Funny, love, I never cry  
__Funny, love, my love never died  
__It lives and forever  
__It forgives_

_But still it's true  
__No matter what I do  
__I'm lost and losing you_

_- Funny, Love,  
from a workshop of Next To Normal_

"It is beautiful," she admitted, although she still had a sadness hanging over her, like her own personal raincloud. The two of them were sitting on a blanket in a clearing in the woods that surrounded their home. He smiled at seeing the way her lavender dress contrasted with her skin- she'd been angry with him when he'd brought home colored dresses for her instead of her preferred black, but he still found it lovely. True, not all colors worked with the soft green, but she wasn't as limited as she liked to think she was. He thought she looked lovely when she wore bright colors- there was a floral effect.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" he asked as she leaned backward so she could rest her head in his lap. The breeze caught a stray lock of her dark hair, blowing it into her face. Without putting much thought into it he pushed the strands of hair behind her ear. "You skipped breakfast this morning."

She rolled her eyes at him, annoyed at him for paying so much attention to her eating habits as if she couldn't take care of herself. "You haven't eaten much, either," she said, scowling.

"Elphaba," he grumbled with an exasperated groan. "I thought we agreed we weren't going to worry about that? I don't want you to dwell on-"

"The fact that you sacrificed your humanity for me?"

He glared at her. "Stop. Stop it. I would do it again if I had to. You really can't think I would've been better off if I'd have let you die." He went rigid and she sat up, pushing away from him.

She knew better than to confirm it, knew that would only lead to an argument. She didn't want to lie, either, though, which led to her staring at him, chewing the edge of her lip as she wondered what she could say to him. Nothing came to her so she just stared into her lap and picked at the hem of her dress.

He sighed, giving up on their nice day out. He gently lifted her chin. "Love, I-"

Her eyes went wide, "Shh-" she said, running for the treeline. He followed her, knowing to keep his mouth shut. He followed her to the trees. Sure enough, when he turned around two young men, probably on a hunting trip walked through the field.

He frowned, but gently nudged her in the direction of their home. Once they were our of earshot she whispered to him, "Do you understand it, yet?" she softened, knowing he did whatever he could for her. "Yero, it's not your fault, but I can't keep doing this."

"Stop, I hate hearing you like this. We'll think of something, we'll keep going further. Eventually we'll be far enough away from Oz that no one will know who the Wicked Witch of the West was."

She shook her head, running a hand over her hair. "No, because then we just have to deal with trying to explain ourselves as a green woman and a scarecrow. Don't you get this? We don't get to have a happy ending, we don't get the ever after."

She wouldn't speak with him even after they got home, other than to angrily tell him she wanted to be alone and he was best off not bothering her. He was a little horrified when he realized she had locked him out of the bedroom, but it didn't surprise him much either.

* * *

She had left the Grimmerie with Glinda, something she was realizing had not been the best idea ever. She had given it to her best friend to ensure she was able to protect herself- but then the Wizard of Oz had left Oz after her "death" and sweet little Glinda had managed to throw Madame Morrible into prison of her own accord, so really there was little Glinda needed protection from.

On the other hand, Elphaba did need a bit of protection. More important than that, was she needed to find a way to undo the Scarecrow spell. She had to give Fiyero his life back. He'd sacrificed so much for her. She had to undo it.

Well, no. It was an established fact that it was impossible to undo a spell once it had been cast- but that didn't mean she couldn't find a loophole, some way to give Fiyero his humanity back. She would do that, and then she would leave. She would return to Oz one last time and not worry about hiding any longer- but first she had to help Fiyero. She had given up on any hope of her own happiness, but that didn't mean she'd given up on his.

The spell books that she had available to her left something to be desired, but they were something, so she set out to leaf through them, examining every word on every page. She didn't stop, even when the dawn's light began to turn the sky from indigo to cloudy blue.


	3. So Anyway

Long chapter! I considered putting the very end of this onto the next chapter(which will be short) but it just didn't work out very well. Oh well, like I said, I try not to focus on chapter length- my chapters are all short compared to most writer's, anways.

Also, yes, another chapter with a Next To Normal theme. No, the whole fic won't be a loveletter to that musical, it just feels really pertinant to these first few chapters.

* * *

_And true it's quite a trick  
To tell the dancers from the dance  
But rather than let chance take me  
I'll take a chance  
I'll take a chance on leaving  
It's that or stay and die  
I loved you once and though  
You love me still I know  
It's time for me to fly  
I loved you once and though  
I love you still I know  
It's time for me to go  
And so, goodbye  
-So Anyway, Next To Normal_

"Elphaba, c'mon now, this needs to stop." Just shy of two months later, he'd had enough. She was getting too thin, always tired, and never had any patience. "I don't even know what _this_ is, but I've had enough of it."

Despite his angry, desperate outburst, she just shrugged, a hint of a smile on her face. "It's done anyway, so that one is easy enough."

At seeing her mood pick up and her obvious excitement at something, his anger vaporized. "What's done? What did you do?"

She grabbed his hand, leading him back to the bedroom. She reached into her dresser and pulled out a piece of paper. She held it in front of him, although he couldn't read the strange words she'd neatly written out. "I figured it out, I figured out how to turn you back into a human." The hint of a smile turned into a real one at his look of shock. "It isn't perfect, I know that. It won't be able to turn you back into your old self, but it will be able to safely turn you back into a human." She faltered there. "That's not going to bother you, is it?"

He laughed at her concern. "I would say any form of human would be a considerable improvement," he said as he hugged her to him. "Is this what you've been working on for these past few weeks?" He held her at arm's length. "You didn't have to do that, you know. Or you could've stopped to eat and sleep."

"I did enough to not keel over, anyway." She pointed to the bed. "Sit down, you'll probably black out when I do it."

His eyes widened. "You're going to do it now?"

She smiled at him. "We can wait if you'd like, but I thought you might enjoy experiencing some human... experiences," she said, nudging him toward the bed.

"In that case..." He reclined back on the bed, making her laugh. Despite their arguments of late, it was easy to remember why she'd fallen in love with him in the first place.

* * *

The spell was easier than she'd anticipated, and despite being a little disoriented, Fiyero was perfectly fine afterward.

"This is really weird," he said, staring in the mirror at his new reflection. Dark hair had replaced blonde, hazel eyes replacing blue. Features changed, were different, but she still found them altogether pleasing. She wondered how much of it was him and how much of it was just the fact that she loved him. And anyway, it was actually pretty convenient that he didn't look like his old self- she didn't want the inhabitants of Ev to recognize him as the Ozian prince who'd turned traitor.

"Weirder than being a Scarecrow?"

He laughed at that, feeling her hug him from behind, leaning her cheek against his shoulder. "No, I much prefer this to being a Scarecrow. It's just weird to look in the mirror and not see... me. Which I haven't seen in almost a year, but-"

She pressed a kiss against his neck, leaning up- he stood several inches taller than he previously had- to trail kisses to his cheek, mouth. "I don't think I mind this new you so much, my hero."

"Should I be concerned? If you saw a person who looked just like this, would you have run off with him before?"

"No, no. You're still beautiful because when I look at you, I can still find you beneath it all," she said as he pulled her in front of him so he could kiss her properly. He pulled her tightly against him and she remembered how nice it was to be pressed against him, the warmth of his body against hers. She pulled back, briefly. "So human experiences..."

"Definitely," he said as he pushed her back onto the bed. He gently traced her cheek with his fingertips. "Things are going to be so much better, Fae."

She bit her lower lip, but quickly pushed the thoughts away. "They will be," she promised him, knowing he wouldn't catch the real meaning of her words. She slipped her hand up and squeezed his. "Well, aren't you going to kiss me?"

"Yes ma'am," he said with a laugh leaning down to press his lips against hers. He felt her mouth slip open, inviting him to deepen the kiss. It didn't take much more initiative than that. He could hear the soft moan as she yielded to him, gave into him. Her hands slid between them and she worked on unbuttoning his shirt, pushing it off of his shoulders. She moved down, pressing light kisses against his chest. Before things became too intense he pulled her back up so he could kiss her neck as he helped her out of her dress, running his hands over her body, remembering the other time they had been able to be together. Then it was rushed, frenzied. Now they could afford to take their time and drink each other in. His eyes ran over her body, the way the moonlight shined off of her glossy hair and made her skin look a softer green.

She shifted, slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. "Yero?"

He smiled. "You're so beautiful," he said and kissed her gently. He let his hand trail over her body, his hand cupping her face, slipping down her slender neck, skimming over her breast, to her waist, to her hip. He'd thought she was gorgeous before, but felt like he hadn't appreciated her enough in the past- and he'd adored her then!

"I love you so much," he said, and they gave themselves to each other again.

* * *

He fell asleep soon afterward, kissing her lightly and whispering his love for her before nodding off. He was completely oblivious to her getting up out of bed and dressing. She tiptoed through the bedroom, her gaze lingering on him. She placed the neatly written letter on her pillow for him to find in the morning.

It was so tempting to just stay. Her heart kept saying things like: _Just stay the night, sleep in his arms one last time, _or _Spend a few days with him, you love him so much, _or, most dangerously, _spend a few weeks here, maybe he was right, maybe things will get better. _But then, she knew she couldn't think like that. If she lingered, she would never leave him and they would spend the rest of their lives afraid and unhappy.

She did not have her original broom with her- it had been taken as a trophy to the Emerald City by Dorothy. Luckily, it was one of the easier Grimmerie spells and was easy for her to remember. She enchanted a new one and secured the one bag she took with her. She thought about walking into the bedroom and just looking at him one last time, but didn't let herself, knowing she would never leave.

Despite the warm days, the air was cold and a small storm was brewing. She let the rain soak over her, cleansing her and helping her ignore the fact that she cried the entire way to Oz.

_Dear Fiyero,_

_I know you will never forgive me for this, but I couldn't stay with you. Even though I love you with all of my heart, we would never have been able to be happy. I couldn't continue living like that, I couldn't fall back into the old trap. I couldn't live my life as a prisoner to my past, unable to move forward or backward._

_I won't bother lying to you because I'm sure news from Oz will reach you very quickly. I plan to speak with Glinda, and gauge how she is doing and to tell her the truth. I know all you wanted to do was protect me, but I have not been able to get over the fact that we had to lie to her. I couldn't forgive myself for that. After I see her, I really don't know what will happen to me. I'm not so worried about that._

_As for you, my love, I knew I wouldn't be able to leave you in your former form. I wanted to give you a chance at life back. I wanted to make sure you were not burdened by me. I want you to start over. You have a fresh start. I want you to be happy. I want you to work, to love. I want you to have a future, my hero._

_I love you so much. I hope you can forgive me someday, though I won't hold it against you if you can't. Take care of yourself, please. I don't know what to say, or how to wrap this up. I feel like nothing I can say is enough to express anything. I have no idea what I even need to express. So I'll just say goodbye and that I love you one last time._

_Elphaba_


	4. You And I

_But they know full well  
It's not hard to tell  
Though my heart is breaking  
I'd give the world for that moment with you  
When we thought we knew  
That our love would last  
But the moment passed  
With no warning, far too fast_

_You and I  
We've seen it all  
Chasing our hearts' desire  
But we go on pretending  
Stories like ours  
Have happy endings  
- You And I, Chess_

_… I'll just say goodbye and that I love you one last time._

_Elphaba_

He read the words over and over again. She'd taken so much care in writing them, all neat and measured. There were no ink splatters, no crossed out letters. Just pretty, looping cursive. She had taken time to do it. When did she write it? Surely not last night- which raised the question of when she wrote the letter. How long had she been planning to just leave him? Was the letter sitting in her dresser for weeks, months, so she could just leave and be done with him?

After everything that had happened, he couldn't believe that she would just run off. He'd given up an easy, pleasant life for her. He could've married Glinda, and worked as the leader of Oz's entire military. He never would've had another wish. Eventually, when the the sad day came that his father passed away, he would've taken the throne.

But he'd given all of that up so he could be with her, because he loved her.

Then she'd been in danger. Without a moment's hesitation, he had taken her place. He'd let the Gale Force- the men who had looked up to him, who obeyed him- beat him, torture him. He'd been left for dead, but he didn't care because he knew he had saved her by sacrificing his life.

But again, he didn't care what he had to give up, because he loved her.

She'd been able to save his life, sacrificing his humanity in the process. She'd done the same before. She'd turned Boq into the Tin Man to counteract a horrible spell cast by her younger sister. Boq had been infuriated at his state, turning his once friend into his sworn enemy. He would've rather been dead than be trapped as an unfeeling monster. Sometimes, Fiyero wondered if Boq had had the right idea. He'd hated living as the Scarecrow. Not eating, not sleeping, unfeeling. In some ways it was like being trapped in a nightmare.

But he had been glad for it, because it meant he could continue to protect her, because he loved her.

He could've still had an easy life, done whatever he wanted. As the Scarecrow, he was one of the most celebrated figures throughout Oz. He could have power, prestige, whatever he'd wanted. Instead he had gone to Elphaba and rescued her. He'd ensured her safety, protecting her as they traveled from Oz to Ev. He'd done everything he could think of to make her happy, keep her healthy and safe. He knew it wasn't perfect and so many times he was tempted to just give up.

But he didn't give up because he loved her.

Then she had returned him to his human form. Finally they had a chance at some sort of life together. Suddenly they had the hope of a future- but she'd run away. She'd given up on him. She'd given up on their potential happiness, their potential future. He knew it was difficult, he knew there were no guarantees of them ever being happy- but how could she just go? After everything he had done out of love for her, how could she go? It wasn't that he felt like she owed him anything, and he definitely didn't regret anything he had done. He just couldn't understand how after all of that she could just go.

The pretty words cut him like a knife. He thought he saw water stains on the edges of the paper. Tears, perhaps? Had she cried as she wrote out her goodbyes to him? It served her right- this was her choice, she'd brought it upon herself. She was the one that was tearing them apart, not him or anyone else.

It wasn't that she'd broken up with him (God, that term seemed inappropriate, as if they were just a pair of teenagers casually dating). If she didn't love him the way he loved her, if she didn't love him at all, hell even if she hated him, he could deal with that. If they had just sat down and talked together, mutually deciding to separate, he could deal with that. Really, he'd have felt better if she'd just told him in person. Then, even if there was no convincing her to say he could at least tell her how he felt.

But she'd taken any decision away from him. She said she wanted him to be happy. _Hah_. The only way he could be happy was if he still had her by his side. But whatever, fine. She'd made her choice and he would have to live with it. He would start over, live a new life.

When he was young he'd danced through life out of a fear of failure. It was so much easier to flounder and stumble when you never really tried. Failing when you put your heart and soul into something was shattering. He'd tried to grow up, to work and try, but he'd failed, so clearly. Well, enough of that. He'd never give a damn about anything again. Not when he knew how much it hurt to see it all fall to pieces.


	5. Giants In The Sky

**Fast update! I'm having major issues with the document manager at the moment, so I had to be stealthy to post this. Hopefully the formatting doesn't get killed... Shout out to Squint, who connected What I Did For Love with the previous chapter, which I did have in the back of my head as I wrote it... cool, huh? I also posted a (fluffy!) Fiyeraba oneshot called Starlight, so take a look at that, if you haven't already.**

_When you're way up high  
And you're own your own  
In a world like none  
That you've ever known,  
Where the sky is lead  
And the earth is stone  
- Giants in the Sky, Into The Woods_

At just shy of four in the morning, no one scans the skies for a supposedly dead witch. Elphaba didn't know why she had been expecting to be shot down as soon as she crossed over into Oz, but she was surprised with the ease in which she traveled to the Emerald Palace. She circled twice before spotting Glinda's bedroom, landing her broom on the balcony. The glass door to the outside was unlocked- then again, who expects a room on the third floor to be broken into from the outside?

She hovered in the doorway for a minute. Glinda was sleeping soundly in a bed large enough to fit six of her. The room was not pink, as she'd expected, but a soft green- most likely a leftover from the Wizard's reign. She considered the best way to wake her friend, but ultimately her choice was made for her. Glinda's eyes snapped open when Elphaba shut the door behind her.

"Who's there?" she called out. Elphaba lunged forward to place a hand over her friend's mouth, needing her not to scream, no matter how shocked she was.

"Shh," she crooned before gently adding. "Don't be scared, everything is alright. Yes, it's me, yes I'm alive, and so are you. The only way I can guarantee that continuing, though is if you don't scream when I take my hand away. Can you promise me you won't scream?"

Glinda nodded and she took her hand away. In a whisper she demanded. "Elphaba Thropp, I'm giving you thirty seconds to explain how you're sitting in this room or I will scream bloody murder and every single guard in the palace will be in here before you can blink."

"It might take more than thirty seconds to explain all of that but to start with... well, I didn't die." Old anger at Fiyero flared up in her. He had been the one to force her to hide herself away and lie to everyone, including her best friend. _He only did that because he loves you._

"Well I can see that much!" she snapped, but thought better of it. "But I'm so glad you're alive," she said, pulling Elphaba onto the bed with her and hugging her. Elphaba surprised her by not pushing her away.

So she explained how she had survived- how Fiyero had survived, as well. She rushed over the lies, seeing that Glinda was near tears, and feeling desperate herself. She explained the lies about the water allergy- including her shock that Glinda had actually believed that bit. She explained how Fiyero had helped her leave Kiamo Ko and their travels to Ev. She explained how she had restored his humanity and that she had left him-

"What?" Glinda squawked. Elphaba gave her a harsh look, "Sorry," she said, and then, softer, "What?! Why in the world would you leave him?"

"Glinda, it's not that easy. He was so focused on our safety he didn't give me -well, either of us, really- a chance to live. We couldn't keep going like that, it was driving me insane. You have to understand!" She realized that her voice had risen in volume and she took a deep breath to steady herself. "I love him so much, and that's why I had to go. I was already resenting him. It was only time before we grew to hate each other. I couldn't let that happen. I would rather leave and still love him and have him still love me than stay and let that happen."

"Elphie, no, no! You're wrong on this one, I know you are. You can't just turn away from love. You can't give all that up! You need to go back."

"No. You weren't there, you didn't see how we'd changed. I was always feeling so low, depressed. It was horrible. I felt like there was no point in-" she cut herself off, deciding the truth might disturb Glinda. "I couldn't stay there."

Glinda frowned, wanting to help but not knowing how she could. She decided against arguing with her, though. "So what do you plan to do now?"

"I wanted to talk to you first. How are you, how's Oz?"

"I'm fine. Increasingly fine as I realize my best friend is alive." She felt a little guilty for the look she flashed at Elphaba and softened. "And Oz is... Oz. I've given the Munchkins most of the right's back- Nessa... well, you know what happened there. And I've repealed most of the Banns. So things are going well. Not everyone is fond of what I done, but I know I've done what's right so whatever."

Elphaba perked up. "What-"

"Elphie, there were always people who opposed the Ozmas, all of them. And people other than you opposed the Wizard, too. It's not really a big deal that some people object to me."

She wasn't sure she believed her but gave in. "I think I'll go back to Kiamo Ko. There's no point in me hiding- that's what I wanted to avoid. There's also no point in me staying so close to you- I don't want you to get hurt. Just know if you need me, I'll be here."

Glinda didn't bother shooting out some other plan, having nothing. She got up and walked to the balcony, leading Elphaba there. She ran a hand over her bookshelf and found the Grimmerie. "Take this, maybe one day you'll be able to teach me to read it. Until then, it'll do you much more good than me." She hesitated for a second before running off to find a second object, the green glass bottle Elphaba had lost. She stared at it in horror for a minute, but decided against saying whatever she was going to say, just pressed it into Elphaba's hand. "Be careful."

"You too," she said, pressing a kiss against Glinda's cheek and kicking off from the balcony. She waved a green hand at her friend and was gone. "Love you."

* * *

She had considered letting herself have some sort of accident as she flew over Oz, but decided against it, if only because she realized that if Glinda had to deal with her death, again, she would be devastated. She flew the familiar path back to Kiamo Ko on autopilot, the landscape looking the same as always.

She reached the castle a little after dawn. Fiyero's family had not attempted to reclaim it, rightfully thinking it would be more of a hassle than it was worth. The guards had abandoned it and the Flying Monkeys were nowhere to be seen, not even Chistery.

The castle was a mess. Debris was scattered around the grounds, making it look even worse off than it was. She wandered the hallways, still familiar to her. She could see where she'd torn rooms apart in rage, never bothering to clean up. As the Wicked Witch of the West, she had not been able to see her life lasting for very long. Those feelings were coming back, with a startling velocity. Perhaps stupidly, she made her way up to the tower. It _looked_ worthy of a Witch. Herbs were scattered across a table beneath a looking glass. Spell books had been dropped to the floor.

An overturned bucket sat on the floor next to a nearly invisible trapdoor. She shivered and went into the next room, collapsing onto the bed she hadn't bothered making over a year before, sleeping as the rest of Oz woke up.


	6. There's A Moment You Know

**Short chapter, but the next one is longer, I promise... and please, no throwing buckets of water at me. I didn't want to have to do this. I was very sincerely surprised when this happened... And yes, I censored the chapter title because I didn't want ffdotnet to yell at me.**

_Disappear – yeah, well, you wanna try  
Wanna bundle up into some big ass lie  
Long enough for them to all just quit  
Long enough for you to get out of it  
-Totally Fucked, Spring Awakening_

A few weeks can change everything. Infants are born. Couples marry. Friendships are made and broken. People fall in love, or conversely in hate. People improve themselves, take power. And sometimes, people die. The world is an ever changing place, always shifting and growing. Just because you focus on yourself doesn't mean the world won't continue moving on without you.

Roughly six weeks after Elphaba returned to Oz, beautiful Glinda was dead, voices swirled, not letting her forget the fact, Morrible, the Wizard, even though they were both long gone and had had nothing to do with it. _Glinda is dead..._

Tonan Vuyron had led a rebel group that had successfully overthrown Lady Glinda. He and his followers protested against the swift changes Glinda had brought on in her brief reign, pointing out the way humans had been harmed as the Animals had benefited. There were less jobs for humans, the Animals were not as well suited to the work, the Animals had different ways and were better off on their on, as were humans... The list went on and on.

_Glinda is dead, Glinda is dead, Glinda-_

One evening, during a masked ball to celebrate whatever holiday, the rebels had broken into the palace. Nearly all of the guests had been killed, or at least seriously injured. Glinda had been brutally murdered. In a public statement, Vuyron had claimed he was sure Glinda had been a lovely person- but there was no way change could come while she was alive. He maintained that she died very quickly, but the scene played over and over in her head, each nightmare of it more gruesome than the one before.

_Glinda is dead, Glinda is dead, Glinda is..._

Elphaba had done nothing in the six weeks since she had seen her friend. She'd put the castle back together, grew accustomed to living alone again. Then she'd lounged around and stewed, trying to regain a sense or purpose. It was harder than she'd thought it would've been.

She'd heard of opposition to Glinda, heard it was intensifying, but she remembered Glinda's nonchalant attitude, the way she shrugged the rebel groups off. It was easily reassuring to follow her train of thought, to simply turn away from it and remember that many rulers died natural deaths, and they didn't always please all of their subjects with every action.

But Oz was a dangerous place now. When Elphaba had been a very small child, the little girl who was heir to Oz had disappeared and her father, ruling as her regent had been murdered by his own people, choosing to follow the Glorious Wizard, a smooth, new, fast-talking ruler. The Wizard had been the supreme ruler of Oz before Elphaba's third birthday. Fifteen years later, she had rebelled against him herself. Four years after that, he was gone. A year after that, Glinda was dead.

_Glinda was dead, Glinda is..._

Power had traded hands three times during her life- and she was still young! Who could even know how much further Oz could fall during her lifetime? It was frightening! Her father had always shrugged off the Wizard, saying it wasn't so different from the rule of the Ozmas before him- but Elphaba couldn't swallow that.

_Glinda is dead._

She'd been so happy when she'd heard that Glinda had taken over Oz. She had been so sure things were finally on the mend, things would finally change for the better. And she was sure things were! The Animals were free. The little biases against people were lessening. But then, of course there were problems. Labor was more expensive, there was less land and food to go around as the population slowly grew. Some just didn't trust the young, pretty woman, dismissing her, wishing someone older were in charge of things.

It shouldn't have been difficult to see, it was nearly obvious that Glinda was in danger- but Elphaba had been too busy stewing to check on her. The thoughts rolled over, guilt consuming her. Could she have saved Glinda, her best friend?

She felt sick, but knew that she could no longer stand by, idle. She would not let Glinda die in vain, she would not let the bastard undo all of the work she had done, the work she had died for.

The green bottle sat next to the Grimmerie on her bedside table. The pretty bottle had been her mother's... her alcoholic, manic, dizzy, loving mother's. Not knowing why, she opened it, breathing in the scent of the liquor- it smelled horrible, but that didn't stop her downing half the bottle, grimacing as it burned her throat.

_Glinda is dead._


	7. Pity The Child

_When I was nine I learned survival  
Taught myself not to care  
I was my single good companion  
Taking my comfort there  
-Pity the Child, Chess_

He winced, wondering what had possessed the sun to make it decide to rise this early. He buried his face in the pillow, all too aware of the fact that the woman waking up beside him was all wrong. Well not wrong, he decided as he rolled out of bed and looked for his clothes. She was pretty, and he was sure she had a lovely personality... but he couldn't remember her name, or really anything at all from the previous night. "Good morning," she said with a smile, pecking him on the lips before pulling away and walking into the bathroom. "I'll just be a minute, then it's all yours."

Sure enough, it did only take her a few minutes to dress and clean up. He made a mental note that his new friend was a morning person... Curvy, brunette, morning person... God, he wished he knew what her name was. He stared at his reflection in the mirror- he still wasn't used to that, but didn't have any complaints. He didn't have a change of clothes, so he wore what he found on the floor, hoping it wasn't too rumpled. He splashed water on his face, wondering how exactly he'd gotten into this situation.

There wasn't too much to wonder about, though. He'd surely wandered into a bar, bought the pretty little thing a drink, and gone home with her. He'd done it time and again while he was in college, and had done it most nights since Elphaba had left him. It didn't make him feel any better, but it did keep him from feeling much of anything which was an improvement.

He'd found a little apartment, not able to bare living in the house he'd shared with _her-_ it left something to be desired, paid for by him doing odd jobs around town, but it was a place to stay on nights when he didn't get drunk off his ass and find a girl to go home with.

He was a mess, he knew that, but it was hard to care much. He shook himself, not letting himself delve into self-pity, following the scent of food out to the kitchen. "I figured pancakes were a pretty good hangover food, do you like them?"

"Love them," he said, ecstatic to realize she'd also made coffee. Now if only he could figure her name out... He poured himself a cup of coffee and one for her, sitting them both on the small table.

"Would you mind going and grabbing the newspaper? It should be sitting out on the front steps."

"Sure," he said, although he regretted it slightly because the sun was even brighter outside. He grabbed the newspaper, flipping it open as he walked in. When he settled into one of the slightly rickety chairs and began to read, he felt sick.

_Neighboring Oz's Lady Glinda Killed In Palace Massacre_

"What the..." he squeezed his eyes shut, as if that could make the words go away. It didn't work, they were still there when he opened his eyes again. He read the words over and over again, not understanding how Glinda's death could even be possible.

The reporter didn't hide a bias to the rebel's side- probably smart, as they had completely taken power, and they'd already proved murderous. Tonan Vuyron, a young man, even younger than Fiyero himself was, had lived in a noble family under the Wizard. He was exactly the sort of person who would've benefited under the Wizard- his family owned a large farm in western Munchkinland and had thrived on cheap Animal labor. They'd been hit hard when Glinda had issued laws requiring adequate payment for Animals. It was easy to see why he'd grown to hate her.

Even worse, was the way he completely dismissed her. They treated her like she was nothing but a pretty, silly girl. Maybe she had been at one point, but she'd been through hell- _Fiyero had_ put her through hell! She deserved so much more respect than that. She'd done so much all on her own, while he and Elphaba had licked their wounds. Glinda hadn't even had a chance to mourn them.

And then there was Elphaba. Glinda's death would devastate her. He could only assume she'd heard of it, or she would soon enough. How would she be able to deal with her best friend dying? She'd been so frail when she'd left...

"Yero?" the girl asked, looking very concerned. "Are you alright? You look like you're going to be sick." She put down the two plates she was holding.

For a second he registered that she'd called him by the pet form of his name- he'd told her the nickname Elphaba called him by to help keep suspicion away. It was a good idea, a nickname for several different names common in Ev, but the fact that some girl he didn't really know... "Lady Glinda, the ruler of Oz was killed."

"Oh," she murmured. "That's a shame. She seemed lovely."

"She was," he said, then remembered that no one was supposed to know that he'd almost married the girl. "Um, we went to the same college. I'd seen her around." Well, it wasn't a complete lie.

She nodded. "You did say you were from Oz, didn't you? How did you wind up here, again?"

He launched into a sterilized version of his life. "I was born in the Vinkus- the Western part of Oz. Went to Shiz, the same school Glinda went to. I'd... spoken with her a few times, and knew her roommate pretty well. Very well, actually. She's the one I came here with." It was safe enough to say that- no one ever mentioned that Glinda's college roommate had turned out to be the Wicked Witch of the West. Madame Morrible had made a point of hiding it to help distance Glinda from Elphaba in the public eye.

"You were in love."

"Yes. Very much so." He took a deep breath. "But it doesn't matter, it didn't work out."

She nodded. "A shame, then. But there's nothing you can do. It's sad about Lady Glinda, though."

"Yeah. A shame." God, that didn't cover any of it! Glinda was dead, a person he loved, a person he almost spent his life with.

All the same, it was all the more reason to drift through life. It kept the hurt from cutting you. Glinda was in a better place, someone so good had to be. He didn't let himself dwell on Elphaba, instead eating the breakfast and then falling back into bed with another woman.

* * *

And then there was silence, well, near silence. She could hear her own breath, hear herself panting from the effort. She could hear crickets out in the fields, bullfrogs in a nearby creek. It was so peaceful, if not for the dead bodies that surrounded her, blood seeping into the ground.

Despite her reputation, Elphaba had never killed anyone before. In the years she had lived as the Wicked Witch of the West, fugitive, she'd never even hurt anyone. She'd scared people silly, but she'd never cursed anyone, never hurt anyone, and certainly had never killed anyone.

Now a crowd of fifteen men laid dead around her, circling her as if she were the one who'd been attacked, instead of the other way around. They were all rebels under Vuyron, they'd all participated in the attack on the palace and had helped kill Glinda. They'd all thrived since one of their own had been put on the throne of Oz, enjoying the comfort of having friends on top. They'd all lived in luxury since they'd killed Glinda.

Well, that was the end of that.

She conjured up a fireball that could rest in her hand. She used it to burn a message into the ground, burning the flesh of the dead bodies when they got into the way.

_THOSE WHO WOULD MURDER THE INNOCENT ARE THE TRUE BEASTS._

The stink of burnt flesh and scorched earth attacked her nose, making her choke. These men were only a small part of Vuyron's army- but the fact that she'd single-handedly eliminated several men close to him was enticing.

She took a deep breath to steady herself. She could feel their blood drying on her body, sticking to her hands and dress. Suddenly, she felt very overwhelmed- she'd never killed before! This wasn't her, this was crazy!

_They killed Glinda._

_But I'm not a murderer, this is insane._

_It was retaliation. This is politics. They wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing to you, if they could catch you._

_That does not make it right._

_Since when does that matter? Since when does anyone bother doing what's right? You're the only one who ever bothered._

_If I do this, I'm sinking to the same level as them, then._

_You already did it, so I guess you already sank. Relax, they had it coming._

_It doesn't matter, I'm doing this all wrong!_

But it really didn't matter, she'd done it all the same. If she sat there and dwelled on it she would go even more insane than she already had. She climbed on the broomstick and circled the City, making sure she was seen.

The Wicked Witch of the West was back.


	8. Epiphany

Oh, how I hope the site stops spazzing out and lets you all read and review this... if there are issues, try to contact me, and I'll repost it in a few days to see if that helps. Just so you all know, the rating will be upped to M (not for graphic sex or violence, but for language and themes) before too long. I'll tell you when I switch it, we still have a couple of chapters. Happy (well, perhaps not happy) reading!

* * *

_There's a hole in the world like a great black pit  
__And it's filled with people who are filled with shit  
__And the vermin of the world inhabit it  
__But not for long...  
__-Epiphany, Sweeney Todd_

_**Vuyron Responds To Witch's Malicious Attack**_

_Oz's bold new leader Tonan Vuyron was outraged when he heard a small battalion of his had been killed by a Witch, assumed to be the supposedly dead Wicked Witch of the West. The soldiers were found dead in the middle of a cornfield just outside of the Emerald City, in Munchkinland. Their bodies surrounded a message charred into the ground, reading THOSE WHO WOULD MURDER ARE THE TRUE BEASTS. Although there are no witnesses of the event, civilians claimed to see a dark shadow low in the sky, resembling the infamous Witch of the West on broomstick. Despite claims that the hag had died a year before, most people including our leader are convinced she has risen again._

_Rumors swirl throughout the City about the message. Many believe it is a response to the death of Glinda Upland, also referred to as Lady Glinda. Despite Upland's siding with the Wizard during his final years in office, many believe that she truly supported the Witch, particularly in response to the anti-Wizard laws passed soon after she took office._

_Vuyron spoke about the massacre at a press conference early yesterday. "I have no doubt in my mind that the Witch of the West is behind this," he claimed. "Despite her warped mentality, she was magically talented and could have easily faked her death. Oddly, I have respect for her; she's sticking to her convictions. However she needs to know that this will not be tolerated. I respect her acting on what she believes is right, but if she knows what is good for her and for Oz, she will stop this immediately. If she could mend her ways, she could do brilliant things for Oz, I have no doubt. But I will not allow this to continue."_

Elphaba read the article over and over again, her hands tightening into fists until she cut into her own palm with her dirty fingernails, drawing blood. Maybe she wasn't doing the right thing, going about things the right way. Maybe Vuyron was doing the wrong thing the right way, and she was doing the right thing the wrong way. His methods were more ethical, perhaps, but not his reasoning.

She _hated_ him. He dismissed stunning, dead Glinda. He dismissed _her_ and everything she stood for. She'd wanted to remove the Wizard from power, to make him change- but she didn't wish the man behind the curtain any sort of ill will, just the politician.

She wanted to kill Vuyron.

The thought had consumed her for months- months she'd only really realized had passed when she realized the winter chill had frozen the earth. All she wanted was revenge. He had killed Glinda... the Animals...

Glinda, who had only crossed her mind because of her death. The Animals she had been thinking of less and less. Doctor Dillamond, her teacher, hadn't even crossed her mind even though he had been the one, in his own way, to set her on this journey. Was he even alive? She doubted it.

She hadn't been thinking of any of them- and if she had, only because her anger fed off of them. She couldn't even think of the good times. She couldn't remember the happy times that had made her best friend her best friend.

It all felt so far away, so forgotten, so forgettable. So-

Fiyero. The love of her life, who'd barely crossed her mind. The beautiful man who had made her finally feel like she was worth something, like she mattered, like she could be lovable. She closed her eyes, remembering the gentle touches. He had been so good to her, he'd never pushed her, but patiently loved her. He'd chosen her, he'd given up everything for her. And even later, when he'd lost everything, he'd still loved her. When she would drift off to sleep and it had been physically impossible for him to sleep, he would hold her in his arms as she rested, whispering sweet words in her ear until she was gone, and would still be there when she woke up, as adoring as ever.

Yet he'd made her so angry! He did whatever he could to make sure she was safe, no matter what the sacrifice was. She knew it was _because_ of his damned love for her that he did it, but he could be so controlling it drove her insane! He'd smothered her to keep her safe and alive.

He'd driven her to bottle up any and all aggression until she'd been ready to burst, willing to kill if it meant finally doing something. Why had he let her get to that point? Why couldn't he have let her die before then instead of always being the valiant hero, ready to rescue her! If he'd let her die, she wouldn't have reached this point...

If he'd have let her die, she wouldn't have stared out the window of Kiamo Ko tower, watching a magical fire of her own, mostly subconscious creation. If he'd have let her die, the fire wouldn't have consumed half of Red Windmill, the town surrounding the castle, burning the village to the ground.


	9. The Deal

Just so you all know, I'm going to up the rating with the next update. Again, I stress it will not be for graphic violence or sex. I also want to advertise the graphics website I set up. The link can be found in my profile, I hope you all check it out!

* * *

_Fair exchange -- tit for tat  
Comradeship in profusion  
And the appeal, partner  
Of this deal, partner  
Is we all stand to win  
-The Deal (No Deal), Chess_

She didn't know quite why, but she'd never expected it to be like this. The Gale Force had never attacked her under the Wizard. In passing she realized it was probably because Fiyero had been sabotaging his own troops. They'd played cat and mouse games, although who was the cat and who was the mouse changed daily. She would make some move in the City, or somewhere around Oz, and they would chase her back- although the second she would move to retaliate, they would run, terrified of her. They had spent years like that. That was why Vuyron had surprised her so much with his attack.

Red Windmill had been destroyed by the fire. Over half of the town had burned to the ground, although the fire did not touch Kiamo Ko (Elphaba wasn't so sure that part was on purpose). Hundreds of people had been killed, men, women, and children. She'd heard the screams, the panic, but Kiamo Ko had surrounded her protectively, not letting the fire touch her. She had the passing thought, even as Vuyron himself made his way to her chamber and his men captured her, that Kiamo Ko had protected her from the relief of death like Fiyero had.

She didn't struggle, which she knew surprised them. Apathetically, she let Vuyron himself lead her out of the castle, merely handcuffed with no other restraints. "I'd expected more resistance from you," he said, after he instructed the guards accompanying them to lower their weapons.

"I never live up to anyone's expectations," she said, staring blankly ahead. She nearly fell on the steps, but felt sick when Vuyron caught her, not liking the feel of his arm around her waist. She was sure she would've preferred to feel her head strike against the edge of the stair.

He scoffed at her. "Such a jaded little thing you are... not at all what I pictured." He smoothed her hair out of her face and she felt her stomach roll, bile threatening to pour out of her mouth.

"You pictured me?" The sick feeling was not going away and her voice sounded hollow.

He was smiling, just a little, more a smirk than anything else. "The stories paint you as a wretched hag, as old as time. I can see that you really can't believe everything that you hear." Once they were outside, he personally helped her onto a horse and they rode back to the City. She didn't say a single word, but simply stared straight ahead.

* * *

They didn't bother with Southstairs, instead putting her into a cell off of the throne room in the palace. If it weren't for the bars fencing her into a corner of the room, it would've almost been comfortable. The guards didn't jeer at her as they let her in, didn't even bother to speak with her, something she couldn't complain about. There was a distinct lack of privacy- the cell contained a cot, a sink, and an exposed toilet. She had to work to remind herself that things could be much worse...

And then they were, or she thought so, anyway. Vuyron himself appeared, with a plate of food- bread and cheese. He dismissed the guards on duty and turned to her. "I thought you might be hungry... what's your name, your real name?" He unlocked the cell, walking in and putting the tray on the cot. She didn't move, and was glad that he didn't linger, walking back out through the barred door, looking in on her. "Your mother surely didn't call you the Witch."

"My name doesn't matter." She glanced over at the plate, knowing she wouldn't eat it while he was around. "And I would appreciate it if we didn't discuss my mother. She died when I was a child."

He shrugged. "So be it, Madame Witch."

"Why not just kill me?" she asked, feeling like her mouth had asked the question of it's own accord. "I'm the ultimate trophy. You killed the Wicked Witch of the West- and this time you actually have the body to prove it!"

He seemed unsettled, but not for the reasons she wished. "You've changed. During the days of the Wizard I can never imagine you falling at his feet, encouraging him to kill you. The press reports always depicted you as being full of vitality, strong."

"You're right. I have changed." She made a show of kneeling in front of him through the bars. "So will you kill me or not?"

"No, not yet anyway. It would be a waste of power." He changed tactics, softening. He reopened the door. She didn't make a move to escape and he didn't move into the cell. "You're capable of so much, clearly. That fire out in Winkieland? Brilliant. If only you would harness that for the right cause, do the right thing."

"You mean you're waiting to see if I'll work for you, kill the Animals?" Her voice rose in pitch, but his didn't rise to match it.

"Kill? No, of course not." He smiled at her. "I'm not going to kill anyone if I can avoid it."

"Liar! You killed Glinda and dozens of members of her court!"

He held up his hands, requesting peace. "And if I could've avoided that, I would've, but it was all for the greater good. I couldn't have taken power if she were alive. If I didn't take power, people- people like you and I- would've suffered at the benefit of Animals. They took human jobs, their population was already beginning to boom, food was growing scarce, the economy was headed to ruin. Glinda was a beautiful women, and good at heart, but she was so misguided. She was not fit to rule. I'm doing the right thing, and I would like to help you."

"You're sick!" she yelled, tears pricking at her eyes. He quickly slammed the door of the cell shut. "You murderer!"

"Madame, are we forgetting the death of men- soldiers, yes, but not acting on duty? Are we forgetting the people you killed in that fire? The old, the young. Children, babies, even. You killed them all."

She didn't know exactly what it was, but like a bolt of lightning, magical energy shot at him, only to ricochet off the bars of her cell, rebounding and nearly killing her. Failing to, of course. Eyes wide, she looked up at him, disgusted as he laughed, genuinely amused. "You can't have thought we wouldn't magic proof the cell."

"How?"

"You may be the most talented Witch in Oz, Madame, but you aren't the only one."

She felt her blood run cold. "Morrible?"

He laughed again, infuriating her. "What, no, that old hag died in Southstairs during Glinda's reign." He cocked his head. "I can see this is going nowhere. I'll leave you. Eat, sleep, do what you will."

She spit at him through the bars, but missed.


	10. The Past Is Another Land

_The present is an empty space  
Between the good and bad  
A moment leading nowhere  
Too pointless to be sad  
But time enough to lay to waste  
Every certainty I had  
-The Past Is Another Land, Aida_

"Yero, look!" Varina ran into the kitchen, brandishing a newspaper. "It's the weirdest thing." She opened the paper up as he pulled her into his lap and kissed her cheek . "The Wicked Witch of the West rose again... or it's her ghost, or maybe she didn't die in the first place, but the important thing is that's she's back and she's killed a whole bunch of people."

Fiyero sucked in a breath, feeling like he was going to throw up and barely able to process any of the information, just barely squeaking out, "What?" as he gently pushed Varina back out of his arms, just in case he did wind up throwing up. It was a definite possibility.

"After Lady Glinda died, the Witch killed a bunch of General Vuyron's men, really brutally and then she burnt down half of a village in the West. The Gale Force captured her though. They don't plan to execute her, though. The paper says they're trying to reason with her and try to get her to use her magic for good." She chewed the edge of her lip. "You've gone pale... are you alright? I didn't mean to upset you, I just thought you would want to know since you told me you're originally from the Vinkus." She reached forward and held his hand. "You didn't have family in Red Windmill, did you? That was the name of the town."

He choked out, "No, no, none of my family lived in that part of the Vinkus." He would later think to be glad that his parents and younger siblings all lived in a castle in the northern part of the Vinkus, but at that moment all he could think of was the fact that Elphaba had managed to kill so many people or, alternately, that she had been captured. He wasn't sure which part of it disturbed him more.

"Did you maybe have friends there, though?"

Friends? He hadn't had normal friends since Shiz. "I don't think so, I hope not."

"Well, that's comforting, at least." She said. "Can I get you anything? Tea or something else?"

He said yes so she would have something to do, so she wouldn't be so focused upon him. Varina was a wonderful girl. Very pretty with long auburn hair and gray eyes, and soft curves. And intelligent, too. He'd picked her up once when he was drunk in a bar, but luckily, even drunk he still had decent taste in women. The apartment wasn't much to look at, but it was comfortable and cozy. His job left something to be desired, but it was something to do so he couldn't complain much. He had a place to live and a job and food on the table, and Varina. He'd made a perfectly respectable life for himself in months. He could live a nice, humdrum, unremarkable life in Ev with Varina, a sweet, lovely, pretty girl.

A sweet, lovely, pretty girl. Who's only flaw was that she was not Elphaba.

OK, so that was a pretty big one.

_God_, Elphaba. What in the world had happened to her? His Elphaba had never killed, much less burnt down an entire village.

And she'd been captured? Impossible, she couldn't be contained by anyone- well, except maybe him. He'd done a pretty good job of cutting her off from the world- something he now pretty sincerely regretted, even if it was for their own good. And that had driven her into a deep, dark depression. And that had been when she was with someone she loved, or at least claimed to. What in the world would happen to her when she was locked up, surrounded by people she hated?

He left for Oz, knowing Varina would be fine without him, but also knowing Elphaba couldn't be.

* * *

_drip _

_drip_

_drip_

_drop_

_drip_

She laid on her side, staring at the wall. The sink dripped incessantly, getting on her last nerve. She considered asking one of the guards on duty to fix it, but knew that would only result in laughter. She'd never been much of a handywoman. As a child, there was always a servant at her father's mansion, or a maintenance man at Shiz. She'd never bothered repairing anything at Kiamo Ko, and in Ev, Fiyero had always taken it upon himself to do things like fix leaky sinks.

She glanced over at the guards, laughing over something or other and decided to just deal with the dripping. _Pretend it was rain, something natural, something free... yeah right._

_drip_

_drop_

_drop_

_drip_

"Miss Witch," an amused laugh accompanied by a knocking on the cell bars. "I'd like to speak with you."

She didn't roll over to look him in the eye. "So speak, I can't stop you."

Vuyron unlocked the cell, walking in. He sat down on the cot and grabbed her shoulder, gentle but firm, and forced her to roll over. "I have an offer to make you."

"What's that?" She asked, bored and knowing she didn't really have a choice but to listen to him, anyway.

"Your freedom." She sat up, but he continued on without giving her a chance to question him. "You're far too powerful to rot in this cell- if I intended to let you do that, I would just kill you. I still can," he reminded her. "But no, I want to offer you the chance to work with me, not against me. You could have anything you wanted. Anything."

_Wonderful, you could be wonderful..._

"No," she murmured, remembering long ago days when the Wizard had made her a similar offer.

He didn't take that for an answer- he never did. "Now, won't you hear me out, first?" He circled her, pulling her up with the same gentle firmness as before. "No?" He sighed. "It would be so much easier if you would... but I guess we can do things your way." He looked over at the guards, signaling them to come over. All the gentleness of his touches were dropped as he roughly shoved her to the floor of the cell. "Do what you want with her, just make sure she stays alive." He looked at Elphaba. "Remember my offer."

The only one who'd ever... touched her was Fiyero. And this was nothing like his gentle caresses, as much for her pleasure as his own. More so, probably. No, the hands groped over her body, roughly, exploring every inch of her, stripping her of the rags that had once been her dress. They took turns plunging into her brutally, painfully. Eventually, eternities later they both grew tired, spilling their seeds inside her, making her feel used and like she would never be clean again.

Some time later Vuyron walked into the room, her still laying in a heap, naked and filthy on the floor. "Will you listen to me now?" He helped her slowly stumble to her feet and he wrapped a silk robe around her, tying it shut. "Come with me, then." He offered her his arm, as if she were a court lady and they were going for a walk around the palace. She didn't take his arm, despite the fact that she was sure she wouldn't be able to walk by herself.

He didn't care, resting his hand on her back instead. She squirmed at the touch, yet another unwanted touch.

"No handcuffs?" She said with a calm, clear voice.

"I don't think it's necessary. Do you really think running would do you any good?" She scowled at him, knowing she wasn't in a physical state to run, and even if she could've there was nowhere for her to go, anyway. He lead her through the palace, eventually stopping at a door and opening it. A large bedroom was inside, decorated in light blue.

"What's this?"

"Your room." He smiled. "If you'll accept it, anyway. If you don't like the blue, that can be changed. Forgive me for not knowing your favorite color... though I had a feeling you weren't a pink kind of girl."

She frowned, remembering a young, living, happy Glinda, in a pink dress, running around their dorm room. No, Elphaba definitely wasn't a pink kind of girl.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?"

He didn't hide his intentions from her. "I want you to work with me, not against me. In return, I'd be willing to give you whatever- comfort, respect. In return, all I ask for is for you to help me. Then this will be all over, you can have a life. You would never have to be a fugitive again, you could just be a young woman. You don't even look like you're twenty-five, yet, are you?" She didn't comment, telling him she wasn't even twenty-four yet. "Anyway, I'll leave you to get settled in. The room is guarded for your protection- and magically sealed, as your cell was."

"Wait!"

He smiled, turning back around. "Yes?"

She chewed her lip, not wanting to ask the question, not wanting to appear weak, but knowing that it was impossible for her not to appear that way to him, "Why did you tell them to do that to me?"

"Because you need to know that I can make every single wish come true, as well as all of your nightmares."

Despite herself, she let herself enjoy the room, or even more so, the bathroom that attached to it. She plunged herself into the water, scrubbing the grime and sweat and dirt from her skin until her skin was raw and the water was tinged pink with blood.

* * *

The next morning, she awoke to find Vuyron standing over her. "I see you've enjoyed your room, I'm glad." He sat on the edge of the plush bed. "Have you thought about my offer any more? I meant what I said, you can have anything you want. You'll be safe. When was the last time you were safe?

It _was_ tempting. It could all be so easy. She could be safe and taken care of, never having to hurt again.

Then again, Fiyero had been more than willing to take care of her and keep her safe, and she hadn't been able to live that way with the man she loved. What made her even consider the offer from a man she hated? "No, I won't work with you."

He groaned, his composure slipping, just slightly. Then he beat her himself, not asking for the guards to do it. When she was exhausted, he dragged her roughly back to her cell.

_drip _

_drip_

_drip_

_drop_

_drip_


	11. If I Didn't Believe In You

**Meh, I know the beginning is fast. It was better than the beginning dragging... and I know we all want to get to CERTAIN EVENTS.**

_If I didn't believe in you  
We wouldn't be having this fight  
If I didn't believe in you  
I'd walk out the door and say,  
"Cathy, you're right"  
But I never could let that go  
Knowing the things about you I know  
Things, when I met you four years ago, I knew  
It never took much convincing  
To make me believe in you  
- If I Didn't Believe In You, The Last Five Years_

Traveling to the Emerald City took weeks, far longer than he would've liked. When they'd left Oz they had traveled by broom (he hadn't been much of a fan of the experience, but it was fast). The time in carriages, trains, or just walking gave him too much time to think, for anxiety to grow in him. He had to pacify himself by reading headlines from Ozian newspapers, never once seeing a reference to Elphaba's death. He couldn't stop until he got there or got word of her death.

From the outside, the city looked the same as always. The wealthy in their furs and silk, the poor trying to find a place to stay and something to fill their bellies. He'd always hated the city and now it's flaws only seemed magnified by his intense hate of the man in charge, who let it all happen.

He'd always claimed to be brainless, but he'd also always managed to come up with a good plan. He'd used one to save Elphaba before, and it would serve him again: he knocked out a guard to steal his uniform like he'd down in Kiamo Ko. Granted, now it was a little more serious. Then, it was his Elphaba, who he'd get thrown to if caught. Now it was Vuyron, someone he did not intend to get involved with. At all.

He pocketed the Gale Forcer's gun, too. Never know when that would come in handy.

Now to find Elphaba. It was common knowledge that she wasn't kept in Southstairs, the massive underground prison. It was too dangerous for that- both for her and the other inmates. No, she was kept right where Vuyron could personally keep an eye on her, right inside the palace.

He found the room- the pair of guards stationed outside the door were a dead giveaway. Fiyero kept his eyes down as he approached the door. One of the guards stopped him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Vuyron asked me to personally bring the Witch to him," he said calmly and confidently, praying that his lie wasn't some obvious breech in protocol. He wanted to let out a sigh of relief when the guard opened the door for him. Fiyero pulled it closed behind him.

He didn't know what he'd been expecting to see, but what he'd found made him feel ill. Iron bars sectioned off part of the room. She laid on a cot inside, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't bother looking up at him, but he was pretty sure she was awake. The keys were in sight, so he grabbed them and opened the door. He felt some relief at seeing a plate of edible food and a cup of clean water on the floor next to her- he would've felt better if it had looked like she'd eaten any of it, though. "Elphaba," he said softly, and she still didn't look up- did she not since her lover (former lover?) in the room with her? "It's me, Fiyero."

She slowly turned her head so she could see him. "Why are you here?" Her voice sounded hollow, empty. She looked like a wreck, bruises visible on her face and limbs, others probably hidden beneath her torn, threadbare clothes. "Why did you come here?"

"To get you out of here," he said. He grabbed her shoulder to pull her up and she winced at the touch. "What's wrong? They beat you, didn't they?"

She sat up, clearly finding something very interesting on the floor because she wouldn't look up. "Of course. They raped me too," she said. He flinched but she didn't waiver.

It was remarkably easy to get out of the palace. He simply led her out, gently holding onto her lean forearm. They walked in silence- a silence he found extremely awkward- until they were safely beyond the castle walls. Then she stopped in her tracks. "I repeat, why did you come get me?"

"Because you were in danger."

She scoffed, "What does that matter?"

"It matters because I still love you, not that I know why," he shot back. He had to work to make sure his voice stayed quiet. "What did you expect me to do, wait until I opened up the newspaper and read that they'd finally executed you?"

"Exactly! Then you'd finally be done with me and would go on with your life."

"Yeah, fucking right, Elphaba! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

She glared at him, although he realized she was more angry with herself than she was with him. "Why can't you just stop caring about me? Everything would be so much easier if you dropped it. No matter what I do, I can't drive you away, even if I tried!"

"Are you trying?" He groaned, desperate "I should've stopped caring about you years ago, when you ran out of my life the first time! But no, there you were in the back of my head, haunting everything I did. I was the leader of Oz's military but I couldn't make a decision because I was scared to death _I _would be forced to kill you myself. Then it was finally just you and me, for what, a night? Then you run off, but I don't care, because it's what you had to do. I finally see that I have the opportunity to protect you and I do it and it nearly cost me my life, but I got lucky. So then we leave Oz, and I tried so hard to make you happy and I failed, miserably. Then we get the chance to start our life together, start over, but then you run off. You're right, I don't know why I care what happens to you!"

"So just stop, then! If I'm such a burden stop, go home! Do you think I wanted you to always have to rescue me? I'd prefer not! So just go. Go wherever, get out of here. I meant it when I said I wanted you to be happy."

"You would be rotting in that prison if I didn't come after you. Is that what you wanted? Slowly dying, the will to live sapped out of you, beatings, having strange men fuck you for their pleasure? Stick around, if you want to go back to it, I'm sure you'll be captured soon enough."

"Whatever, stop. I can't fight with you anymore, I'm done. There's no point to anything. The Animals will never be free again and I think I'm the only one left trying to help and I don't think I'm even doing much for them anymore. And I can't go back to a nice quiet life, even if I could stand it knowing what I know. I can't have that, I might have been able to at some point, but that's so far gone now... I'm done, you can go. Be happy."

He could see the tears threatening to spill over and pulled her into his arms. Although his physicality was extremely gentle, his words were still blunt. "You did the wrong thing. You aren't my Elphaba anymore. I'm confident she's still in there, but it's going to take a lot of work to get her back. But I want her- Elphaba, not this damned Wicked Witch of the West, to know that I will never give up on her." He looked her in the eye, trying to get through to whatever part of her soul that wasn't broken. "Let's go, then," he said, heading for the treeline. He felt relief when he glanced back to see Elphaba following him.


	12. Somewhere

_There's a place for us,  
A time and place for us.  
Hold my hand and we're halfway there.  
Hold my hand and I'll take you there  
Somehow,  
Some day,  
Somewhere  
-Somewhere, West Side Story_

They spent months avoiding each other, speaking to each other only when it was necessary. She stayed up in the tower, and he moved into one of the bedrooms below. He felt like he was living with a moody, cold stranger. He never knew when something he did or said would upset her. Any conversation more involved than "how's the weather?" turned into an argument The fact that she was healing was comforting. She looked less gaunt, less like an animated skeleton. Her bruises disappeared and her scars faded. Of course, she still resented him horribly, which was irksome.

All the same he was afraid he would never get her- the real Elphaba, that is- back. She was so changed. He could remember the day they met- he'd been an ass to her, something he wanted to forget about. She'd gotten so angry with him! And then, a few days later, with the Lion Cub... he'd enjoyed not being the subject of her annoyance. Or at least, not all of her annoyance. He could remember the day, standing in the shade of the forest behind Shiz, the trees blocking out the sun.... _"You could have just walked away back there," she bristled._

_"So?"_

_"So, no matter how shallow and self-absorbed you pretend to be-"_

_She was pushing him, she was going to make him say something real- something he was terrified of. This girl intimidated him. Smart, prickly, opinionated... and something else, too. "Excuse me, there's no pretense here. I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow."_

_She didn't buy it for a second. "No you're not, or you wouldn't be so unhappy."_

_Oh God, he had to go, he couldn't have this conversation with this altogether frightening girl. "Fine, if you don't want my help..."_

_But then there was her hand touching his, grounding him to the spot, stopping him from running away. "No, I do!" She stared at him, at their hands with a look that made him think there was a chance that she was as afraid of him as he was of her. Though he didn't know _why_. "Poor little thing, it's heart is pounding. I didn't mean for..." She let him go, dropping to her knees in front of the cage._

_He dropped down beside her, petting the Cub through the bars. "What did you mean to do? Why was I the only one you didn't do it to?"_

_She pursed her lips, scrambling for words. "Oh look, you're bleeding... it must have scratched you." He felt a shock as she softly touched his cheek. She froze, frightened. His hand slid up, resting against hers._

"_Yeah or maybe it scratched me," he mumbled, incoherently. "I better get to safety-I mean the Cub, get the Cub to safety." He wrenched away from her with a little reluctance. If he didn't go he was going to do something ridiculous like confess his undying love for her. He picked the cage up and left._

_"Fiyero!" He heard her call his name, but didn't dare to turn around. _He smiled fondly at the memory, but there was a bitterness there, too, because it was only a memory of years past.

* * *

Elphaba was in a better mood than usual and happened to walk through the main sitting room of the house, surprised to catch the scent of a burning fire in the hearth. Fiyero was there, staring off into space, a mostly full bottle of something surely alcoholic in front of him. She hovered in the doorway, having expected to be alone. He usually went up to his room after dinner. She considered running off, but he noticed her before she had a chance to flee. "I don't mean to be a bother," she offered, still ready to retreat to the tower.

"You aren't," he said, although he didn't really look up at her. "Sit, you live here, too."

She hesitated for one last moment before crossing over to him, sitting on the opposite end of the couch from him. Neither of them said anything. He stared into the fireplace, slowly bringing the bottle to his mouth. She was wishing she hadn't sat down and was trying to come up with a good reason to leave when "What are you doing?" slipped from her mouth.

He didn't answer her right away, furthering her desire to run off. She certainly wasn't expecting what he did wind up saying, either. "Did you really mean it when you said you wished you the Gale Force had killed you? I mean truly, not when you were just mad at me or frustrated? Do you wish we hadn't even tried to have a life together?"

She faltered, not sure what to say to that. "I.. I felt like my being alive wasn't doing anyone, including myself any good. And since then... well, I know I've done a lot more harm than good. I've been a mess."

"Which was all my fault. If I hadn't smothered you, if I hadn't been so focused on keeping you alive, then we could've at least been happy, for a while. You might have done hurtful things, but at least you always had a good reason to do so. Me? I've done nothing. I protected you because I couldn't imagine living without you. When you left, I pouted. Drank heavily," he raised the bottle in an ironic toast, "Slept around. The only good thing I've done is save you, and that wasn't even what you wanted."

He didn't look at her for the entire little speech. He looked broken, something that _scared _her. He'd always been strong for her, always been the one she could lean on- and she had leaned on him. He'd been the one to keep her steady, kept her grounded. It hadn't always been him taking charge, being controlling- she'd needed that in a way. She'd been exhausted, both emotionally and physically. She'd needed him and he'd been there for her. She felt horribly for making him feel guilty about it. She reached out to him, her fingertips brushing over the back of his hand. She felt a little spark, like she was a teenager again, having run out of class into the woods behind Shiz. She saw a flicker of a smile on his face at the touch. He rolled his hand over so their fingers laced together. "You've been my rock, Yero. I know I complained, but you were only doing what you thought I needed and I love you for it."

"But-"

"But nothing. I was wrong,"

He almost laughed. "Have those words ever come out of your mouth before?"

She shrugged. "Can't say, but can you argue with it, keeping in mind my actions in the past year or so?"

"Ahh... well, all things considered, no." He lightened, but he could see her beginning to falter, on the verge of falling back into herself. He squeezed her hand tighter. "I can't lie and tell you that anything can make what you did OK. However, I'm also convinced you were not in your right mind when it all happened. It doesn't make it better, but the... events don't need to define you. It doesn't mean you can't get past it and change for the better... what?" He asked, watching her face fall.

"Nothing, it's just that something in what you said reminded me of Glinda." She looked down into her lap. "I don't know if I ever truly mourned her, I was so focused on avenging her. That's not what she would've wanted," she said, guilt washing over her.

"You're right, it's not. But she wouldn't want you to feel bad about it, either. She loved you and would have wanted you to be happy. You know that."

She wanted to stop the conversation, wanted to ease back into lighter things. All the same, she heard her voice threaten to crack as she said, "But she didn't get real happiness, not toward the end of her life. And all of those innocent people-"

He used his free hand- she noticed he had put down the bottle- to lightly touch her face. "Let's stop with the endless cycle. It gets us nowhere and leaves us both miserable- me drunk and you-"

"Insane," she supplied.

He nodded. "I was going to phrase it more delicately, but sure, insane.... Fae, the point is, we need to move on, we need to try."

"We can try," she echoed.

"We will try."


	13. I'd Give It All For You

**Sometimes we just need fluff. I was having Fiyeraba withdrawals. Give the sugar level of this chapter, I think I deserve points for moving the plot forward as much as I did.**

_Oh, I gave it all for you  
I gave it all for you by my side once more  
Oh, I gave it all for you  
I gave it 'cause it's harder to touch  
The things that are dearer  
I love you too much  
To trust something clearer  
I know I fell too far  
But here you are  
-I'd Give It All For You, Songs For A New World_

He fell in love with her all over again in the weeks that followed. They'd both changed, he realized, but they'd almost grown more compatible (although he had to admit they weren't actually extremely compatible to begin with). They were both more mature, more willing to compromise and give in. When they'd been younger, nearly every conversation they had boiled down to bickering. That had lessened... mostly, except for gentle teasing that was still a staple of daily conversation.

And of course he'd realized how wrong he had been. His previous actions had been out of love, of course, but he realized that fiercely protecting Elphaba was not the way to show his adoration of her. He told her that one morning over a breakfast of coffee and slightly runny eggs. She smiled slightly putting her fork down. "Oh, really?" she asked, amused.

"Yes, really," he said, with a more serious air. "I promise I won't try to stand in front of you, blocking you from the world, and I won't follow you, simply reacting to your actions. I just never want to leave your side, and I never want to drive you away from me. I love you too much for that."

She looked down, laughing gently at some private joke. He looked at her, expecting some sort of explanation. She hesitated before she finally admitted, "That almost sounds like a wedding vow," she said softly, studying the design of the wooden table shyly.

He didn't back off at all, cupping her face so she couldn't hide herself away from him."If that were an option, if I could take you as my partner, as my wife, I would do it in a heart beat." She laced her fingers through his and he smiled, gazing down at their hands. There were no rings on any of their fingers, but he realized it didn't matter so much.

She looked up at him, her old smile back on her face, making her look young, eighteen again. She wasn't old, about twenty four, but those six years had treated her harshly, weathered her and made her look older than she was, particularly when she was tired. He could still see her beauty, though, and in that moment he was confident the entire world would have been able to. "So I guess it's my turn, then?" She didn't wait for him to respond. "I promise to never hide behind you, but to always tell you my plans and make my decisions with you. I promise I will not give up on myself or more importantly anyone else. And I promise I will always love you, no matter what."

"And I love you," he confirmed for good measure, but knowing it went without saying. He kissed her. Although there was no priest or any other sort of official present, he knew then that she was his in a way that she had never been before. He also knew that he would always be hers and hers alone, something he had never felt happier about in his entire life.

Despite the inclination to linger, they both knew it was foolish to wait in Kiamo Ko, it was only time before Vuyron came looking for her again. As such, they stayed in the castle for less than week before deciding they needed to leave as soon as possible. He hesitated slightly before he said, "I am trying very hard to resist asking you to leave Oz again. I am resisting the urge to vow that it would be different, because I know it doesn't matter and that we need to stay in Oz. I just want you to know that it's taking a lot out of me to admit that."

She gave him a peck on the cheek. "And I appreciate that. And you're right, we can't leave Oz..." She smiled, teasing him a little. "But I have an idea that should keep us as safe as can be... or we can be, anyway."

"And what's that?" he asked, noticing she was already packing up a suitcase. In fact, it looked like she had begun packing before then. He wasn't really surprised.

"A spell can be watered down or weakened by altering it slightly. The spell I used to make you human again, if gently altered, can temporarily change someone or something's physical appearance. If I cast it on myself, I can change my appearance for an hour or so, and can blend in among normal society. It's not ideal- a spell like that, even in it's weaker form is exhausting, and there are surely limitations, but we can work with it."

"Fae, that's great!" He said, pulling things out of his closet (most of her belongings hadn't moved downstairs when she had). "But I have to ask, wouldn't it be worth it to cast the full spell on yourself? Then you could be... normal isn't the word I mean, but..."

"I understand," she said, releasing him from the awkward situation. "And it has crossed my mind, of course. It's just that the spell alters genetics and magic is tied to genetics- notice it tends to run in families? If I cast the spell on myself, I probably would lose a lot of my power, perhaps all of it. It's not something I'm sure I'm willing to give up and I know we can't afford to give it up now, if we're ever going to confront Vuyron. After that, perhaps. Until then..."

"Until then we work with this," he agreed. "So..."

"So we run to Oz, not away from it. We'll go to the Emerald City, find an apartment there. We'll focus on getting ourselves settled first, then we'll move from there."

"And we'll do it all together, right?"

She smirked. "You aren't ever getting rid of me, love. We tried the whole being apart thing, and I don't think it worked so well."

He grinned, liking her playful mood. "And if I ran?"

"You'd better run fast because I'll be right behind you," she said, pushing him down onto the bed, not bothering to move the suitcase and clothing out of the way. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down with him. He loved the feeling of her on top of him, the soft weight that reminded him that she really was there, really was his. It was a beginning and he couldn't have been more excited.


	14. All I Ask Of You

**I promise that these past few chapters do have a point... I'm getting there! **

_Let me be your freedom,  
Let daylight dry your tears.  
I'm here,with you, beside you,  
To guard you and to guide you  
-All I Ask Of You, The Phantom of the Opera_

"I'm still not following how we're able to afford this," she said as they pushed their bed against the wall in their apartment a few weeks later. "I mean neither of us have any sort of job and this is still a decent part of town and-"

"And you forget that we'd been living in a _castle_ previously owned by my parents, also know as the King and Queen of the Vinkus. They had money stored away there."

"And you just took it?"

"I'm their son. Think of it like my inheritance... and it's not like they'll go looking for it," he said as he helped her make the bed, tucking a fitted sheet under the mattress.

She tugged one of the corners of the sheet and gave him an incredulous look. "Um, your parents think you're dead, you know. I don't think you stand to inherit anything." He sat down on the bed, but she pushed him up, pointing to where he'd wrinkled the bedding. "Please, we can mess it up later, let it be neat for five minutes.... and why didn't I know about the money? I lived with you."

He shrugged. "It was in the cellar in plain sight. Where exactly did you think I was getting food and stuff from? I'm charming, but not charming enough to feed two grown adults for months."

She smiled at him. "I don't know, you've worked some wonders," she said, letting her hands rest on his chest and kissing him. She winced a little when she pulled away.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, reaching around to put a steadying hand on her back.

She nodded, brushing her hair back behind her shoulders. "Just a little dizzy," she admitted. "I'm not used to having to cast spells so frequently, it's taking more out of me than I thought it would."

He sat back down on the bed and pulled her down next to him, not sure if he should've been pleased or not when she didn't complain about him messing up the neat room. "Are you still sure you shouldn't cast the full spell so you don't have to keep doing this? I don't like seeing you so sickly. I promise we'll be fine without your magic. I've spent my whole life without any sort of power and it's really not so bad."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's... well, I guess it is that, but not in the way you're implying. My whole life, I've been weird, different. I mean, I've been off from the start, what with my skin and everything. It always sort of defined me. I didn't want it to, I didn't plan for it to, but it happened. I was always stared at, I was always treated like a freak. I don't even know how to be normal, I don't know what that means."

He kissed her brow. "For what it's worth, that's not what I see at all."

She smiled but rolled her eyes. "But how much of me is just some aftereffect of my skin or my magic, or the way I was raised? And besides, do the words 'Maybe he saw green and thought it meant go' mean anything to you?"

"You remember that? I wish you didn't. I was stupid.. a college freshman... for the second time." She gave him the look and he went on. "Besides, I learned to look beyond that in time."

"I'm afraid that's not the point."

"I think it is... your differences might have been the first thing I noticed, but when I think of you now, it's not how I think of you. Green skin and magic isn't how I would define you, at all."

She stopped, knowing he had a point. "Still, I don't think I'm ready to stop being the old me. Not yet, anyway."

"And that's fine," he assured her as he leaned back, pleased to feel her lay back with him. "I just don't want you to fall back into yourself like you did. You have to promise me if you start feeling the way you did, you'll say something to me. And not just by leaving a letter on the pillow after we have sex."

"I promise I won't," she said. "Leaving you was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done. I don't want to lose you again."

"I couldn't take losing you again. My future is with you." He let his hand slip up to play with her hair. "But still," he admitted, "Sometimes I worry."

"About what?" she asked, slightly afraid of what he might be afraid of- he'd put up with more than his fair share of setbacks. His everyday fears were probably more like most people's nightmares. "I don't think we can do much worse than we've already done."

"No, no big catastrophes. I'm not afraid, I'm just a little... anxious, maybe. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever get our ever after, you know? Get to finally rest and focus on our lives together... as a family." That last word threatened to stick in his throat. "Sometimes I worry we'll never reach the happy ending and just get lost along the way."

"I'm not," she admitted. "I mean, it's a very real possibility that we could die, sooner rather than later, but who's to say what can happen? Maybe this'll all settle down soon, we _could_ start a family, be happy."

He scanned her face. "This is a role reversal, normally you're the one who worries.." he stopped short. "Wait, you don't know something I don't, do you?"

He got the look again, the second time in twenty minutes. "I'm not pregnant, Fiyero. I wouldn't keep something like that from you."

"Just felt the need to ask."


	15. It Takes Two

**Just because it's amusing, I'll tell you all that for the longest time, I didn't name my story's antagonist. So in my outline, and in early drafts of some chapters, I refer to him as Bob. Just Bob. It's a little distracting to me, LOL. But woohoo! We have a plot again!**

_It takes two.  
I thought one was enough,  
It's not true:  
It takes two of us  
You came through  
When the journey was rough.  
It took you.  
It took two of us._

_It takes care.  
It takes patience and fear and despair  
To change.  
Though you swear  
To change,  
Who can tell if you do?  
It takes two.  
- It Takes Two, Into The Woods_

He wasn't sure exactly _why_ it surprised him, because it definitely shouldn't have, but all the same, one Saturday afternoon when she came home from some excursion (he had no idea where she disappeared to during the day), oddly happy about something, the last thing he expected was what she said, "We aren't the only ones not pleased with Vuyron. Meeting's at nine, tonight." She said happily, pulling the book he was reading out of his lap, sitting it down on the table sitting near by and depositing herself in it's place.

He blinked, taking a minute to process it. "What?" he managed to ask as he adjusted her to a more comfortable position. "Not that I complain about this particular development."

She was still smiling as she ran one of her hands through his dark curls. "We can't do this alone, Yero, and we don't have to. There's a group out there that doesn't like him... A terrorist group, I guess you could call it. Vuyron led one against Glinda, and it could be said I led one against the Wizard. I suspect there's been one under every single Ozma, too, I'd put money on it."

"And the goal?" he asked, slightly apprehensive but also loving the sparkle in her eye. He knew then that no matter her answer, they would wind up doing it, whatever it was.

"Revolution, of course." _Of course._

* * *

She hadn't bothered with a spell to make the trek through the City, instead opting for a veil and gloves to help hide her skin, in addition to hugging the shadows. He followed her into one of the warehouses cautiously, like jumping into a lake when you weren't quite sure how deep the water was.

She didn't hesitate as she removed her protective clothing, just did it methodically, as if she were comfortable at home. He watched the rest of the group carefully, ready to do _something_ if necessary, even if he didn't have the best track record with heroism.

And there were stares, but they weren't the usual kind. They weren't the condescending looks of hate and nonacceptance. Instead there were looks of awe and admiration- the way he looked at her when she'd done something even more extraordinary than normal... and looking at some of the men, he wasn't one hundred percent sure he fully supported the change and felt much better when he saw her reach back for him. He took her hand and stepped forward, realizing that for once she was more welcome in a situation than he was.

A girl found her voice first- Fiyero guessed she was part Quadling, but he wasn't sure in the low light. She was very young, perhaps younger than Elphaba had been when it had all begun. "It's really you?"

"I don't know how to be anyone else," she quipped, pushing her hair out of her face.

Fiyero realized that the entire group was very young, perhaps a little ragtag, even. College students, even a few who might not have started at a university yet. The group was primarily human, but with a few Animals amongst the ranks. The warehouse they were in was fairly small, but felt full of people. He could practically taste Elphaba's excitement- this was the very thing she had hoped for.

The questions all came at once, blending together into an almost unintelligible blur. "But you died," "Where did you go?" "What happened?" "What about the Wizard?" "What about Glinda?" "What happened to you?"

She raised her hand, calming them. "After my sister's death, I got a little lost. I couldn't keep going the way I was, and Lady Glinda was my closest friend. She was in danger, but I couldn't see how much until it was too late. I made mistakes, but I'm determined to right them, if at all possible." She looked back at him and smiled. "And this is my husband, Fiyero, in the past known as Prince, Captain of the Gale Force, Traitor to Oz, and Dead. As you can see, not all of that is very accurate."

She smiled at him as she said it, and he had to admit to loving hearing her refer to him as her husband. That little smile was all the sentimentality he got, though, as she moved on and got down to business very quickly.

* * *

He focused on calming his own breathing as she settled against him, nuzzling against his shoulder, happy. "You are practically mythical to them, Fae," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against his chest, touching her soft hair. "I wouldn't be surprised, if when this is all said and done they made you Queen of Oz, or something similar."

She laughed at that, but he thought he saw her expression change, just for a second. "Who can say where any of us will end? When we were in school, if you asked me how I thought our lives would end up, I would have imagined you and Glinda would marry and move back to the Vinkus, in your parent's castle- the one they actually live in."

"And you, what did you predict for yourself?"

She scoffed. "Not much, to tell the truth. Nessa would inherit, and would probably marry well, if not for love. I would probably be the old maid, living off of her kindness in the old mansion, trying to be left alone and to stay out of the way." She yawned, "And now I suggest we both get some rest," she said, kissing him and rolling over. He held her close, sensing that she fell asleep very quickly. She'd been very upbeat in the time since they'd moved to the City, and he would do anything to keep it that way.


	16. Red and Black

Hello, we have an update. I should be writing my paper on the options able to pregnant college students (ahh, Womens' Studies), but felt the need to procrastinate. Also, if you regularly read my stuff (hope that didn't sound conceited), you might have noticed the severe dark turn my work has taken. Well, I've started therapy for some mental and emotional problems I've been having for the past few months. I don't want anyone to be concerned about me, and I am focusing on getting better, just thought you might be curious about where all the emo came from.

On an unrelated note, I've added page breaks to the previous chapter. I forget to do that... if it looks like one is missing, mention it and I'll fix it. On an even more unrelated note, check out HaChosenOne's profile for the Wicked awards.

_The time is near  
So near it's stirring the blood in their veins!  
And yet beware  
Don't let the wine go to your brains!  
For the army we fight is a dangerous foe  
With the men and the arms that we never can match  
It is easy to sit here and swat 'em like flies  
But the national guard will be harder to catch.  
We need a sign  
To rally the people  
To call them to arms  
To bring them in line!  
-Red and Black, Les Miserables_

A year passed, a year that was so normal in some ways. They bickered, they made love, the drove each other up the wall, they fell for each other all over again. They made a home together, they made friends, they worked their problems out together. He teased her when she turned twenty-five, a quarter of a century old, and she teased him because he was older than she was, anyway. In some ways, their relationship was typical for any young married couple.

Of course, in other ways it was all bizarre. She had taken charge of a ring of terrorists, young men and women who looked up to her- indeed, some of them very young. One of the boys, Riorick, had only been eight years old when it had all began, she realized, a young child who had been interested in sports and little else when she had been labeled a Witch for the first time. She found herself protective of him- all of them, really. It slowed their progress, encouraged her to be careful. She didn't mind risking her own life, but didn't dare risk the lives of the others, if she could avoid it. Fiyero had mocked her gently, telling her it was her maternal instinct kicking in, and she'd told him to shut up, she was too young to be any of her rebels' mother, anyway (she suspected he was right, but sure as hell wasn't going to admit to it).

But it didn't stop them from moving forward. It was fall and the autumn leaves were turning red, orange, yellow. As they did, Elphaba knew the time was approaching, her ragtag, devoted little army was ready to move forward; she was scared to death. Still, she knew her role and played it well.

She stood in the front of the warehouse basement, informing those assembled of her plans for them all. "Our best bet is to mimic Vuyron's attack on Lady Glinda, slipping into the palace when everyone is distracted. We avoid killing as much as we can, except for Vuyron himself and his inner circle." She felt herself pacing and commanded herself to stay still and calm. The steady rock they needed her to be, not the frightened wreck she was on the inside. "If any of his lesser underlings get in the way, yes we will take care of them, but if it's possible to avoid it, we will spare them." She heard a bit of protest, but she held up one hand to calm them. "They are nothing without him. If he falls, so will they, even if they keep their lives. I want as little blood on our hands as possible."

She surveyed their excitement, all eager to move forward. "My husband knows the layout of the Palace much better than I do, and will lead us in the specifics of this. He lived in the Palace for several years, whereas I have only been inside a few times, and even then confined to few rooms." She nodded at Fiyero, who's eyes had gone wide at her statement. He'd been seated nearby, drinking water (he'd given up the alcohol habit very quickly, at her insistence and a brief argument, with success, but didn't want to have a drink and find himself dependent on it). He reminded himself to stay calm, not wanting to ruin her practiced poise.

But still, it was surprising. He'd assisted her, brainstormed with her, helped her however possible- but in the terms of revolution, anyway, she had always been the dominant one, him simply aiding and protecting her wherever he could. What she said made sense, but still surprised him.

And he was dwelling on that for the rest of the night, through the meeting, through the walk home (the long way, so Elphaba could have peace in mind that everyone got home alright), through their late dinner, and even through a round of after dinner sex. It was perhaps _that_ that finally had her exasperated. "What is it, already?" she asked, sitting up in bed and giving him the look.

"You put me in charge of this whole... venture we have going!" He said, half wanting to discuss it, half not, and all wanting her to lay back down or at least let go of the sheet that was concealing her.

She blinked, almost confused. "Are you mad?"

"Well, no."

"So..."

He almost laughed, letting himself lean back into the pillows of their bed. "So I really don't want to screw this up."

Understanding clicked in then, and she did move back to him, rolling over so she faced him, leaning against his chest. "Yero, I did that because I trust your judgment better than I trust my own at least fifty percent of the time and you know the Palace better than I do- you also know pretty much everything about the inner workings of the Gale Force-"

"The Gale Force under the Wizard. That's two rulers ago."

She shrugged. "I don't see Glinda spearheading any military revolution. And either way, you have my experience in this than I do." She kissed him and said what he needed her to. "Remember that I trust you, my hero."


	17. As Long As You're Mine

Only the epilouge left after this... thank you all for sticking with me. Please enjoy, and tell me what you think. The epilouge should be up soon.

_Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high.  
There's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby.  
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue.  
And the dreams that you dare to dream  
Really do come true.  
- Over The Rainbow, The Wizard of Oz_

It was funny, she'd ever conjured up fire in her childhood or her teens- that was something that seemed to be tied even more to her emotions than her "normal" magical outbursts were. The first time she had created fire had been after she had believed Fiyero had died in the cornfield, grief and anger mixing in her mind and heart until it exploded out of her. She'd thrown fire at Dorothy, caused a tree branch to combust in Ev- when she had felt so hopeless she didn't know if she'd be able to keep going. And she'd ruined Red Windmill, killed so many people, all with a fiery blaze. Funny, water was supposed to kill her. It fit that she ruined so many lives with fire, it's direct opposite. Like she was the fire herself, and Fiyero was the water that helped contain her, made her productive instead of destructive.

A fire blazed in the Emerald Palace, already ruining most of the first floor, causing chaos. Elphaba could hear screams. She briefly wondered how many lives were already lost, how many more people's death she would be responsible for. She briefly felt ill, smelling the stink of burning flesh, mixing with the smoke, mingling in her mind with all those already dark thoughts. Then she felt a girl- one of her girls, one of the Resistance members touch her arm. "I think the building is going to collapse."

Elphaba forced herself to focus, sucking in a smoky breath. The fire had worked too well- the palace _was_ going to fall. They had intended to simply cause chaos, distracting the majority of the Gale Force. In true form, most of the force was only focused on getting out, not helping those they were, in theory supposed to protect. They didn't even bother restraining the group of obvious rebels, didn't bother killing the Wicked Witch of the West, something that had been their primary goal more than once in the past. She shook herself, pushing the thoughts out of her mind and forced herself to focus on the girl beside her- Moyra, nineteen and as stubborn as a mule. At that moment, she was pale, clearly afraid- Elphaba didn't blame her. She scanned the room again, nodding. "Alright, lead the rest of ours out of here. Help the kitchen staff and servants out. Don't prevent the Gale Forcers from getting out, but don't help them either."

Moyra hesitated. "Aren't you coming?"

Elphaba bit her lip. She knew the Palace would need to be evacuated, but she could see that it was going to fall faster than anticipated. The fire was meant to be the distraction, and the other, smaller, group of rebels was supposed to assassinate Vuyron. At this rate, the fire might be the cause of his death, as well as many others, including his assassins. Including Fiyero.

She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach, hissing out a breath as she realized that it was incredibly likely that Fiyero would die- and that she could surely still get to her own safety. She was terrified. He had always been the one to worry about safety, she the one to reassure him that they weredoing the right thing. Funny, in those situations she had always assumed she would be the one to die. The thought of him dying was terrible. The thought of having to live without him was worse. So she squeezed Moyra's shoulder, saying simply, "No, I'm not. We've done the difficult part, stay safe and go."

Moyra still hesitated. "What are we supposed to do without you, without Fiyero, too?"

A column fell, and Elphaba pushed the girl toward the doors. "A popular election amongst whats left of us, you know the plan." Before the doe-eyed girl could stall her any more, she turned, running back in, up the grand staircase to Vuyron's chamber, where she'd personally seen him run, as she called over her shoulded. "Now go, I can't risk the bastard living if my husband dies."

* * *

It almost made her throw up when she found the room, seeing the dainty blues and ivories of the throne room, doubtlessly left over from Glinda's reign, covered in blood from the skirmish. Men from both sides lay dead. Those still living all stared at her- the few members of the Gale Force left, the Rebels, as well as Vuyron and Fiyero themselves. She didn't wince as she said, "The palace is going to fall," although Fiyero looked slightly shaken; Vuyron, too. There was a scuffle as several of the Gale Forcers attempted to get out, but they were outnumbered and stopped. "Escort them outside and deal with them how you see fit," she said.

No one argued, leading her alone in the room with the person she loved most and the man she hated. "So will the two of you be running?" he scoffed, clearly wondering if he would be able to save his own neck.

"No," Fiyero and Elphaba said simultaneously, and he continued, "We've done enough of that in the past."

He moved his hand to her shoulder and Vuyron laughed. "Ahh, I get it, Madame Witch," he said, cruelly bringing her back to a previous conversation. "He's your lover, your hero, isn't he? How sweet."

Fiyero opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Elphaba's panicked expression caught his eye. She looked near tears and her breath caught in her throat. "He is, he is," and the tears slipped over.

Vuyron took a half step toward Elphaba, amazed to see the strong creature finally break. In that moment Fiyero found his knife and cut him in the stomach, twisting his blade. Even if he hadn't struck a vital organ, the man would bleed out quickly. Fiyero briefly wondered if this is what Elphaba had felt like, doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. If she was wicked, he supposed he was as much as she was. As Vuyron hit the ground, Elphaba gathered herself- instantly. Fiyero had recognized the act, but couldn't tell how much of it had been based on reality. "Were you telling the truth? Is the palace really burning to the ground?"

She nodded. "I didn't want to live if you died," she said, more sentimental than she had thought she was capable of being.

He held her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I guess this is the part where we run like hell?"

"This is the part where we run like hell." And so they did, into the inferno. As the smoke filled the rooms and the floors collapsed, she had the thought that she had been killed once by water, and now it was fire's turn; however it was only fleeting, as she was much more focused on the man beside her, and the way that even then she could draw strength from him.


	18. Over The Rainbow

Only the epilouge left after this... thank you all for sticking with me. Please enjoy, and tell me what you think. The epilouge should be up soon.

_Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high.  
There's a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby.  
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue.  
And the dreams that you dare to dream  
Really do come true.  
- Over The Rainbow, The Wizard of Oz_

It was funny, she'd ever conjured up fire in her childhood or her teens- that was something that seemed to be tied even more to her emotions than her "normal" magical outbursts were. The first time she had created fire had been after she had believed Fiyero had died in the cornfield, grief and anger mixing in her mind and heart until it exploded out of her. She'd thrown fire at Dorothy, caused a tree branch to combust in Ev- when she had felt so hopeless she didn't know if she'd be able to keep going. And she'd ruined Red Windmill, killed so many people, all with a fiery blaze. Funny, water was supposed to kill her. It fit that she ruined so many lives with fire, it's direct opposite. Like she was the fire herself, and Fiyero was the water that helped contain her, made her productive instead of destructive.

A fire blazed in the Emerald Palace, already ruining most of the first floor, causing chaos. Elphaba could hear screams. She briefly wondered how many lives were already lost, how many more people's death she would be responsible for. She briefly felt ill, smelling the stink of burning flesh, mixing with the smoke, mingling in her mind with all those already dark thoughts. Then she felt a girl- one of her girls, one of the Resistance members touch her arm. "I think the building is going to collapse."

Elphaba forced herself to focus, sucking in a smoky breath. The fire had worked too well- the palace _was_ going to fall. They had intended to simply cause chaos, distracting the majority of the Gale Force. In true form, most of the force was only focused on getting out, not helping those they were, in theory supposed to protect. They didn't even bother restraining the group of obvious rebels, didn't bother killing the Wicked Witch of the West, something that had been their primary goal more than once in the past. She shook herself, pushing the thoughts out of her mind and forced herself to focus on the girl beside her- Moyra, nineteen and as stubborn as a mule. At that moment, she was pale, clearly afraid- Elphaba didn't blame her. She scanned the room again, nodding. "Alright, lead the rest of ours out of here. Help the kitchen staff and servants out. Don't prevent the Gale Forcers from getting out, but don't help them either."

Moyra hesitated. "Aren't you coming?"

Elphaba bit her lip. She knew the Palace would need to be evacuated, but she could see that it was going to fall faster than anticipated. The fire was meant to be the distraction, and the other, smaller, group of rebels was supposed to assassinate Vuyron. At this rate, the fire might be the cause of his death, as well as many others, including his assassins. Including Fiyero.

She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach, hissing out a breath as she realized that it was incredibly likely that Fiyero would die- and that she could surely still get to her own safety. She was terrified. He had always been the one to worry about safety, she the one to reassure him that they were

doing the right thing. Funny, in those situations she had always assumed she would be the one to die.

The thought of him dying was terrible. The thought of having to live without him was worse.

So she squeezed Moyra's shoulder, saying simply, "No, I'm not. We've done the difficult part, stay safe and go."

Moyra still hesitated. "What are we supposed to do without you, without Fiyero, too?"

A column fell, and Elphaba pushed the girl toward the doors. "A popular election amongst whats left of us, you know the plan." Before the doe-eyed girl could stall her any more, she turned, running back in, up the grand staircase to Vuyron's chamber, where she'd personally seen him run, as she called over her shoulded. "Now go, I can't risk the bastard living if my husband dies."

* * *

It almost made her throw up when she found the room, seeing the dainty blues and ivories of the throne room, doubtlessly left over from Glinda's reign, covered in blood from the skirmish. Men from both sides lay dead. Those still living all stared at her- the few members of the Gale Force left, the Rebels, as well as Vuyron and Fiyero themselves. She didn't wince as she said, "The palace is going to fall," although Fiyero looked slightly shaken; Vuyron, too. There was a scuffle as several of the Gale Forcers attempted to get out, but they were outnumbered and stopped. "Escort them outside and deal with them how you see fit," she said.

No one argued, leading her alone in the room with the person she loved most and the man she hated. "So will the two of you be running?" he scoffed, clearly wondering if he would be able to save his own neck.

"No," Fiyero and Elphaba said simultaneously, and he continued, "We've done enough of that in the past."

He moved his hand to her shoulder and Vuyron laughed. "Ahh, I get it, Madame Witch," he said, cruelly bringing her back to a previous conversation. "He's your lover, your hero, isn't he? How sweet."

Fiyero opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Elphaba's panicked expression caught his eye. She looked near tears and her breath caught in her throat. "He is, he is," and the tears slipped over.

Vuyron took a half step toward Elphaba, amazed to see the strong creature finally break. In that moment Fiyero found his knife and cut him in the stomach, twisting his blade. Even if he hadn't struck a vital organ, the man would bleed out quickly. Fiyero briefly wondered if this is what Elphaba had felt like, doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. If she was wicked, he supposed he was as much as she was. As Vuyron hit the ground, Elphaba gathered herself- instantly. Fiyero had recognized the act, but couldn't tell how much of it had been based on reality. "Were you telling the truth? Is the palace really burning to the ground?"

She nodded. "I didn't want to live if you died," she said, more sentimental than she had thought she was capable of being.

He held her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I guess this is the part where we run like hell?"

"This is the part where we run like hell." And so they did, into the inferno. As the smoke filled the rooms and the floors collapsed, she had the thought that she had been killed once by water, and now it was fire's turn; however it was only fleeting, as she was much more focused on the man beside her, and the way that even then she could draw strength from him.


	19. Epilouge

All revolutions require bloodshed, all take innocent lives. The Emerald Palace burned to the ground, a beautiful old building, full of history. More importantly, thirty-two people lost their lives in the blaze. Even more people were injured trying to escape the building. Many of those people were innocent, having simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Others, not so innocent as well. Vuyron and his advisers had all been killed, and killed many of the rebels as well. It was something they all welcomed, were willing to die for liberty and safety.

Neither Elphaba nor Fiyero were among the dead.

Both of them were severely injured in the blaze, and his lungs were severely injured by smoke inhalation, something he dealt with in stride (as he dealt with everything) for the rest of his life. Elphaba was injured as well, but the injuries were neutralized when she bit the bullet, giving up her magic for good, because as it freed her from her skin tone, it freed her from her past.

And, it allowed her to finally believe that she could be pretty, that Fiyero wasn't so insane for fawning over her. His affections didn't change, however, and for that she was glad, because it confirmed for once and for all that he had always seen her beauty.

The Resistance took power by force, but despite the bloody way they took power, they worked to instill peace. They also knew Oz demanded a ruler, a single figurehead, to look up to. For roughly thirty seconds, they tried to crown them King and Queen, however Elphaba had merely laughed at that, insisting that she was no blue blood and had no intention to let Oz becoming a monarchy, demanding a republic. She was titled a Lady, mostly because they insisted on some sort of title for her, and he resumed his old post as Captain of the Guard, something that made them both laugh.

They ruled together for ten years before stepping down, allowing the first free election in Oz. That was when she knew they had truly, finally, found their ever after. Not perfection but peace. The way that, even when politics and fear and need were stripped away, they were still tightly bonded to each other. They did eventually have the children he had wanted, and he smiled to see their oldest girl's bright green eyes, a gentle reminder of the past, the history that would go on unspoken.

There was never perfection, there were never white horses and sunsets and other romantic cliches, but there were lazy mornings, there was shared laughter, there was gentle teasing. There were arguments, there were disagreements, there were verbal sparring matches for the history books.

And there were chilly winter nights, where they fell asleep in each other's arms, glad to have each other and the life they had made by their own terms.

* * *

And so we have it! And you all thought there was going to be some epic tragedy! OK... so when I originally got the idea, _I_thought this was going to be an epic tragedy (I originally was going to kill Elphaba, although I scrapped that plan long before I posted the first chapter). However I like this ending.

It's weird, after four long years, to be sweeping off my desk, taking my nameplate off the door, and going home for good. When I originally posted this story , I was half hoping school would let up, and I'd be able to keep writing at the rate I had throughout high school- that has not worked out, unfortunately, at least for me. Without getting too personal, I've been having some mental health issues, as I previously mentioned, and it seems to be something I'll be dealing with for some time(so THAT'S where emo!Elphaba came from!), unfortunately.

I'm not leaving the fandom, I love it far too much. I still read, I still review. You might (probably will) see the occasional oneshot or drabble from me, and who knows, maybe you'll see me back one day. That said, if anyone wants me to read over something/ my opinion/ whatever, feel free to PM me. That goes for anything, even if you just want/need someone to chat with. I can be pretty good for that.

I've been praised in the past for being succinct, so I suppose I should keep this brief as well. I just want to thank everyone who's been with me for a while, who's read whatever twist I through out, and didn't even mind when I experimented with pairings and such (remember when I hated Gelphie? Hmmm. Never say never, when it comes to pairings).

So I ask for reviews, this one last time, wanting to know what you all think. The rush of seeing a review in your inbox never fades. Love to you all, and may you always share your art with the world.


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